Synthesis of AlPO4-5 crystals using TBAOH as template

We report the hydrothermal synthesis of AlPO4-5 crystals using TBAOH as template. The resulting product sensitively depends on the gel compositions and synthesis procedure. By treating the tri-isopropylate aluminum gel solution with ultrasonic, and adding HF acid to adjust the gel pH value, perfect hexagonal-shaped AlPO4-5 crystals are obtained. At high TBAOH content, some centrosymmetric intersecting crystals are observed in the products, this can be interpreted by the polar growth of AlPO4-5 crystals. The decomposition of template TBAOH in the channels of AlPO4-5 crystals has been studied by FTIR and TG analysis.